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Fight club: why Asian mixed martial arts is going global

Unlike UFC, its brash American cousin, the leading Asian mixed martial arts franchise is based on traditional values. Now, with its popularity exploding, One Championship aims to be as big as the Premier League. Philip Sherwell reports

Eduard ‘Landslide’ FolayangPAULA BRONSTEIN FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE

The Sunday Times, December 9 2018, 12:01am

It’s showtime at Manila’s Mall of Asia arena and the packed stadium is rocking to the roars of 20,000 frenzied fans, the thump of pulsing music and the booming introduction of the master of ceremonies. Eduard “Landslide” Folayang jogs out of the tunnel between electric firecrackers towards the spotlit crucible for the night’s spectacle, throwing shadow punches and saluting the home-turf crowd for this mixed martial arts (MMA) duel.

At 34, the former lightweight champion is on the comeback trail in the meshed cage of One Championship, an Asian MMA empire that prides itself on traditional values of respect and decency. It exploded onto the scene and in only seven years has become the region’s most lucrative sports business — and is now flexing its muscles…

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